"It's okay. You don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable."
Grey waved his hand. Seeing Lillie's troubled expression, he had no intention of forcing her to continue.
"Okay! Once we return to Alola, you'll probably understand what kind of person Mother is after you meet her."
Lillie still felt somewhat nervous.
She could not understand why her mother would suddenly accept Grey as her younger brother.
What was Mother thinking?
Thankfully, Grey had not forced her to start calling him Uncle Grey or anything like that. Honestly, that would have been extremely awkward.
Her perfectly good Grey had suddenly become her uncle. Being asked to address him that way out of nowhere would have been far too embarrassing.
"Sounds good. Once the Kanto League finishes approving everything, we should be ready to head to Alola."
Grey calculated the time. He would have more than enough time to pack his luggage.
As for their food, accommodations, and transportation, that would depend on what arrangements the League made for them.
"I'm so jealous."
Green's envious voice came from a short distance away. However, to Grey, her tone sounded unmistakably sarcastic.
"You get to travel to Alola with three beautiful girls, bask in the sunshine, and enjoy the ocean. Meanwhile, I have to stay behind at the dojo and accept challenges from Trainers. What a miserable life."
Grey fell silent.
What was this girl up to now?
He could not understand why Green had suddenly started making sarcastic remarks again.
Had they not just agreed that she could borrow Reshiram whenever she wanted while he was gone?
Why had she appeared in front of him again to complain?
Green approached Grey and presented him with a list.
"Here. When you arrive, could you check whether they have any cute clothes? Bring a few outfits back for me if you find anything good. What do you say?"
"Oh, is that all? I thought you were being sarcastic because you wanted something outrageous, but you only want me to buy you some clothes?"
Grey looked helpless.
He had already prepared himself to suffer a massive financial loss before squeezing Green's cheeks until they nearly burst.
It turned out that her request was insignificant.
She only wanted a few outfits. How expensive could they possibly be?
It would not be troublesome at all.
It was just pocket change.
Any problem that could be solved with money was not really a problem.
"Yes! I knew you were the best, Grey. When you're exhausted from working yourself to the bone every day in the future, you can come to me for a massage."
Green rose onto her toes and whispered beside his ear.
"While you're away from the dojo, I'll study all sorts of massage techniques."
"You don't need to announce that part. I'm an honest and respectable man. Having someone willing to massage me is already more than enough. Whether you learn any special techniques is completely optional."
Grey waved his hand.
He was afraid Green would later start complaining that she had gone through the trouble of learning those techniques for him, claiming that her effort deserved compensation even if the results were unimpressive.
She would then use that as an excuse to extort another large sum from him.
"You really don't understand, do you? The techniques used by an excellent massage therapist are naturally far superior to those used by an ordinary one. How about this? I'll massage you later today, then I'll give you another massage after you return. You can tell me how different the two experiences feel."
Green patted her chest, looking as though she were generously volunteering for a noble cause.
"That's strange. Why are you suddenly being so kind? This doesn't seem like you."
Hearing that Green had volunteered to massage him twice immediately made Grey suspicious.
People did not act without expecting something in return, and Green was normally incredibly particular about every last cent.
According to Bumiao, Green even haggled fiercely with elderly vendors whenever she visited the market.
It was truly bizarre to hear her volunteering to work for free.
Grey wished he had checked the sunrise while he was aboard Skyla's plane. The sun must have risen in the west today.
"I can't believe that's how you see me. You're buying clothes for me, so I simply wanted to make your life a little more comfortable in the future. Otherwise, Sabrina and Caitlin might have to help you out of bed every morning while you clutch your aching waist."
Green pressed a hand to her forehead and stared at Grey's waist.
"Sabrina goes to great lengths for you every day. I'm only thinking about what's best for our dojo!"
"Grey, were you permanently injured while battling Team Rocket?"
Lillie had overheard Green's words and assumed Grey had suffered a serious injury while fighting the evil organization. She immediately became worried.
"I, I don't know how to give massages, but I can learn! You've always been so kind to me, Grey. I want to do my part to help you too!"
Grey fell silent.
The silence was deafening.
"Lillie, it's wonderful that you feel that way, but massage isn't something you can master just by talking about it. A good massage therapist needs years of constant practice before her technique and skill can improve. Are you confident that you can keep working hard?"
Green approached Lillie, took her hands, and asked the question with a solemn expression.
"I am!"
To demonstrate her determination, Lillie took out a pair of hair ties and arranged her long hair into twin ponytails.
You can do this, Lillie!
"Green, please teach me how to give massages!"
"Excellent! That's the spirit! You need exactly that kind of enthusiasm if you want to become good at massage!"
Seeing how serious Lillie was, Green naturally would not refuse to become her teacher.
She then turned toward Grey.
"Grey, we need someone to serve as our model. Lillie is working so hard, so you wouldn't want to disappoint her, would you?"
Grey stared at her in disbelief.
What?
Setting aside how the conversation had suddenly become entirely focused on massages, Lillie had not even started learning yet.
They wanted him to serve as her model and lie on a bed while she practiced on him?
That would probably leave him more injured than before.
Grey genuinely believed that allowing a complete beginner to practice directly on a person could end in disaster.
For the sake of his personal safety, he thought it would be better for Lillie to practice on the Pokémon in the dojo before attempting to massage a human.
The dojo had Pokémon of every possible shape and size.
She could even practice on beautiful Pokémon like Reshiram.
Would that not be better than massaging him?
Grey explained his suggestion to Lillie.
"That's where you're wrong, Grey. Lillie wants to learn how to massage you, so naturally, you should be her model. Think about it. You'll be raising her skills from the very beginning. She'll go from a complete novice to someone who understands every part of your body so well that she can..."
Once again, Grey covered Green's mouth before she could finish.
This girl was unbelievable.
She was willing to say absolutely anything.
Did she not realize how easily her words could mislead an innocent child?
If someone like Shenhe heard that conversation, the entire scene would probably be censored.
While covering Green's mouth, Grey turned toward Lillie and discovered that she had already grasped the essence of Green's methods. She was staring at him with wide, pleading eyes.
Well...
Perhaps he should let Lillie try.
Lillie was far more obedient than Green, after all.
Besides, the Pokémon world was a relatively wholesome place. He did not have to worry about absurd situations such as Lillie taking him to court one day and claiming half his property.
"Fine, you can try. Just don't hurt these old bones of mine."
Grey waved his hand and agreed to let Lillie practice on him.
"Yay!"
Lillie immediately hugged Grey.
"You're the best! Once my massage techniques improve, I'll definitely massage you every day!"
"That might be difficult," Green warned after hearing her declaration. "Once Grey gets married and you become a little older, it'll be very difficult for you to keep coming over to massage him."
"That's true."
Grey agreed with Green.
There was no problem while Lillie was still young.
However, once Lillie grew into an adult, she could not casually massage him whenever she pleased.
"I won't be allowed to do it after Grey gets married?"
Lillie looked dejected.
However, she quickly recovered, clearly having found a new goal.
"Then, then I'll marry Grey when I grow up! If I do that, I'll be able to massage him every day, right?"
Grey stared at her in shock.
Green stared at her in equal disbelief.
"She's only a child. She doesn't understand what she's saying."
Grey wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead. He did not dare imagine where this might lead in the future.
"Grey, you have to wait for me!"
Lillie had clearly adopted this as one of her goals for the future.
At least for the foreseeable future, she had no intention of abandoning the idea.
"Grey, you're really something else."
Green narrowed her eyes slightly and gave Grey a thumbs-up.
Grey ignored her and changed the subject.
"It's getting late. Since you want to learn massage, Lillie, you should start now. We can eat afterward. The massage might even improve my appetite."
"Okay!"
Lillie thought his suggestion made perfect sense.
She followed Grey and Green into the dojo and accompanied them to a bedroom on the second floor.
The massage ended after approximately an hour.
Grey did not feel much of anything.
Lillie's hands were small and soft, and she could not exert much force while massaging his back. It had been pleasant enough, but that was about it.
"Grey! How did I do?"
Lillie held her hands behind her back. Her entire body was covered in fragrant sweat, making it obvious that she had exerted a tremendous amount of effort.
It was her first time giving someone a massage, and she had done everything she could.
She did not know whether Grey had been satisfied.
"You did an excellent job."
Grey had no intention of dampening Lillie's enthusiasm. Instead, he encouraged her.
"Lillie, you're very talented at this. Keep working hard. You'll definitely become better and better!"
"Okay! I'll work really hard!"
Now that Grey had praised her talent, Lillie considered taking advantage of her momentum. Perhaps she could rest after dinner and give Grey another massage before he went to sleep.
After thinking about it, she decided against the idea.
Grey had said he needed to discuss something important with Sabrina and Caitlin that night, so Lillie would not intrude.
It would be terrible if she interrupted an important conversation between the adults.
Lillie was a well-behaved child.
She knew where to draw the line.
Whenever Grey needed to handle something important, she would never cause trouble.
By dinnertime, the Fighting Dojo was hosting its largest group meal yet.
Grey, Sabrina, Caitlin, Bumiao, Green, Silver, Lillie, and Cynthia were all gathered around the table, eight people in total.
They cooked hot pot, sang songs, and quickly found themselves in high spirits.
"Mew." Little Riolu looked at Grey. "Remember to go to bed early tonight. We still have to visit those Legendary Pokémon tomorrow. Sometimes I truly don't understand you. You catch Legendary Pokémon and then let them roam free. Don't Trainers normally keep newly caught Pokémon with them every day so they can deepen their bond?"
"Groudon and Kyogre are already incredibly powerful. Even if I constantly followed them around and tried to get closer to them, how long would it take before that effort produced any results? It's better to let them roam freely. I've effectively given them a new place to live, and we can catch up from time to time. Isn't that good enough?"
Grey was not particularly concerned about it.
Besides, absence made the heart grow fonder.
Visiting them occasionally would probably produce better results than constantly bothering them during the period immediately after he caught them.
They were all fully grown Pokémon. Having them follow him around every day would feel rather awkward.
Therefore, Grey allowed them to enjoy their freedom.
Hoopa Unbound had received the greatest freedom of all.
Ever since it followed Grey back into the real world, it had parted ways with him and begun traveling all over the world.
Grey could call it back at any moment if necessary.
He still possessed one of Hoopa Unbound's golden rings.
The ring also prevented Hoopa Unbound from secretly causing trouble.
If it committed some misdeed, Grey could use the golden ring to determine its location and travel there to stop it.
It accomplished two goals at once.
"Mew." Little Riolu nodded. "All right. Remember that after you finish dealing with everything, you still need to visit Galar. You must fulfill the promise you made to Calyrex."
Little Riolu reminded Grey about his previous agreement with Calyrex so he would not forget it.
"I know!"
Grey did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Do you really think I'm someone who breaks his promises? Once I finish dealing with matters in Alola, I'll definitely go to Galar."
Cynthia blinked as she watched Grey converse with Little Riolu, unable to understand what was happening.
A Riolu was telling Grey to travel to Galar?
It was also reminding him not to break a promise.
What kind of agreement had he made?
Cynthia was thoroughly confused.
With that question in mind, she asked Grey about Little Riolu's identity.
"Grey, you seem to be having a wonderful conversation with this little Riolu. What exactly is it? Also, you mentioned that you need to travel to Galar. What are you going there to do?"
In Cynthia's memory, Grey was not normally someone who casually chatted with Pokémon like this.
"Oh, this one?"
Grey immediately revealed Little Riolu's identity.
"This little troublemaker is Mew. When I previously visited Unova, I used its help to make a deal with a Pokémon named Calyrex. That's why I need to travel to Galar."
"Mew?!"
The moment she heard that name, Cynthia could no longer remain seated.
Mew!
The Mythical Pokémon!
According to legend, Mew possessed the genetic material of every Pokémon in the world.
Yet such a remarkable being had been casually living inside Grey's home!
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